Veteran striker feels at home with FC Manitoba

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This article was published 29/09/2020 (1815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He has played all over his home country of Italy, as well as stops in Romania and Malta, but there was something about Winnipeg that stood out to Michele Paolucci.

The Manitoba capital made a strong impression on the 34-year-old striker, who began his local soccer career at Juventus as a member of their youth team in 2006, despite the fact he wasn’t in town for all that long.

Valour FC signed the veteran in July 2019. The team was in desperate need of some scoring help as they headed into the Canadian Premier League fall season. In 15 games with Valour, Paolucci found the back of the net three times and added two assists.

He was unable to reach an agreement with the club for the 2020 season — one that was a single-site tournament in Charlottetown, P.E.I. — but that doesn’t mean he’s done with Winnipeg. Paolucci has signed with FC Manitoba, a USL League Two team that was formerly WSA Winnipeg, where he will operate as a player and a member of the organization’s management staff. 

“When I arrived in Winnipeg, I immediately had a good feeling, good connection with the city,” Paolucci said. “The people are very, very friendly. So, after 15 years of travelling around the world, when I arrived here, I had a feeling that I found a place that maybe is far from where I come from, but it made me feel like home. It was the first feeling I had with the city.”

In January, it was announced the Garcea Group of Companies, a leader in Winnipeg’s construction landscape, had purchased the club and would be rebranding it FC Manitoba.

Paolucci’s connection with FC Manitoba started before the club became, well, FC Manitoba. Enrique Garcea, a 25-year-old who was with Valour last year on a training contract, wasn’t on the pitch on game days, but that didn’t stop him from building a connection with Paolucci and the two stayed in contact after the season. When it became clear Garcea’s family was going to take ownership of the team, Paolucci expressed interest in helping out

“He said for sure, that if there’s potential for him to come, he wanted to be a part of the project,” said Garcea, who plans on playing for the team and serving as the general manager.

“For us to have someone of his calibre, experience and knowledge on and off the field, it was a no-brainer… To have his experience in Canada and in Winnipeg, you won’t find it elsewhere.”

Paolucci admits he’s had some people in Europe ask him why he’s so invested in a Winnipeg soccer team. It’s a fair question, but Paolucci said the local talent is there and the city just needs something like FC Manitoba to help players make the jump to the pro level.

FC Manitoba is associated with Ital-Inter SC, an adult men’s team in the Manitoba Major Soccer League, and 1v1 Futbol Dreams soccer academy, and the two will work as the USL League Two squad’s developmental system. FC Manitoba will also be announcing a new head coach soon — an individual from Europe that Paolucci recommended.

“I think we have a great view and a great project for the future,” said Paolucci.

“What I know for sure is of course it’s a long project here. It’s not something we start today and tomorrow we’re ready. We’ll have to work day by day… It’s a culture we need to create here. For this, we have to work every day together as a team, on the field and off the field.”

The 2020 season was axed owing to COVID-19, but if they’re able to play in 2021, FC Manitoba will be in the Heartland division with clubs such as Chicago FC United and the Des Moines Menace. For the past five years, the franchise has finished in sixth place in the division. 

Valour signed Paolucci after finishing the 2019 spring season in last place. In the fall with Paolucci, the club improved to fifth out of the seven-team loop. Even though Valour head coach and general manager Rob Gale and Paolucci couldn’t strike a deal for 2020, the striker spent the summer in Winnipeg and plans to stick around until November before heading back to Italy for a couple of months.

While some may view Paolucci as taking a step back compared to where he was a year ago, he doesn’t look at it that way. He’s all in on his new role in the Winnipeg soccer community.

“When this opportunity with FC Manitoba arose, I didn’t have any doubts and I decided to take this (path),” said Paolucci.

“For me, of course, I had to think about it, but I’m at a moment of my career where I want to continue to play, but at the same time, I want to continue to build my future as someone involved in football, so I think it was a great chance for me. I have no regrets.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31